The present invention relates generally to the field of information technology asset management, and more particularly to product identification technology.
Information technology asset management (ITAM) is a set of business practices supporting life cycle management and strategic decision making with respect to the information technology (IT) infrastructure of an organization. ITAM often includes gathering and maintaining inventory information about the hardware and software assets of an IT environment, which information is then used to drive decisions about asset purchases and dispositions. Effective use of ITAM can help organizations minimize IT costs through better planning, purchasing, and compliance.
An important aspect of ITAM is software asset management (SAM). Software asset management involves managing and optimizing the procurement, deployment, maintenance, utilization, and retirement of software applications across an organization. As a component of ITAM, SAM is typically concerned with maintaining high levels of organizational productivity while reducing IT costs and minimizing the business and legal risks associated with software ownership and use. Objectives of SAM include software license compliance, license portfolio optimization, and cybersecurity. With respect to license compliance, SAM seeks to ensure that the proper types and quantities of software license agreements are in place, and that software usage accords with the terms and conditions of those agreements. Doing so may involve conducting periodic software inventories, comparing the resulting information against licenses held, and establishing controls to ensure that proper licensing practices are maintained over time.